FUNDRAISING for a new church hall in Bishop's Waltham is under way after plans for the new facility were given the go-ahead.

The new hall for St Peter's Church in Free Street will also accommodate the town's Citizens Advice Bureau, currently based in the library next door.

The current St Peter's church hall is 100-years-old and in a poor state of repair, and after extensive local consultation it was decided that it was better to demolish it and build a new one.

The new facility, which had more than 120 letters of support, will be a two-storey hall with proper disabled access.

Fundraising will now commence in a big way. The project is expected to cost about £600,000.